By strengthening compliance and regulation, Telegram has provided users with a more secure and trustworthy platform, laying the foundation for its long-term development in the global market.

By Bitrace

On September 23, Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, stated in his personal channel that the IP addresses and phone numbers of users who violate the terms of service and engage in illegal activities on public channels may be disclosed to relevant authorities under legal requests. Previously, Pavel Durov was arrested by the French police for allegedly allowing criminal activities on Telegram. After posting bail, he was released but remains under judicial supervision and is required to report to the police every two weeks.

It is worth noting that Telegram has always been known for its strong privacy protection and security. However, in the face of increasing compliance requirements from global regulatory agencies, it has had to make corresponding adjustments. After being embroiled in legal issues, Pavel Durov made concessions to compliance by "providing user IP."

Integration of Telegram and Web3

With its large user base and open API interface, Telegram has become the best foothold for Web3 applications. Telegram not only officially supports the token $TON for all channel trading activities to help Telegram become the interface for the flow of funds between Web2 and Web3, but also integrates The Open Network (TON) into the user interface of the application, covering decentralized finance, domains, games, and other fields in the application ecosystem.

The integration of the two brings unprecedented convenience and innovative experiences for users, and also brings significant user growth for both parties. For example, Telegram's popular click game Notcoin has attracted 35 million users to the crypto market by rewarding users for clicking on the screen and airdropping tokens.

Additionally, blockchain projects mostly choose to maintain communities on Telegram. The convenient group and channel functions on Telegram allow cryptocurrency projects to easily interact with users, share the latest information, and project updates. The large number of bots on Telegram provides convenient functions such as arbitrage trading alerts, data monitoring, and market inquiries for cryptocurrency users. Therefore, a TG account has become a standard configuration for many industry professionals.

However, as the saying goes, every coin has two sides. The harm brought about by the integration of the two should not be underestimated. Criminals use Telegram chat rooms for illegal trading of cryptocurrencies, money laundering, and even planning terrorist activities, making Telegram a communication tool for "black and gray industries" in certain cases.

Telegram and Black and Gray Industries

Telegram supports features such as secret chats, custom privacy settings, and self-destructing messages to protect user privacy. End-to-end encrypted secret chats ensure that the content of conversations is only visible to the communicating parties, making it difficult for regulatory agencies to track or monitor illegal activities. Custom privacy settings allow users to hide their phone numbers and last online times, enhancing user anonymity. Message deletion and self-destruct functions make it difficult to permanently preserve criminal evidence.

The platform's original intention was to protect users from unauthorized surveillance and data leaks, but it has been exploited by some criminals in practice. A chat screenshot shows a case where a victim failed to file a case at the police station due to the lack of Telegram chat evidence under the guidance of Bitrace.

In addition, Telegram's powerful search function allows users to access public channels and bots through search. However, this function has been abused by criminals to promote or sell illegal goods. For example, a certain Drainer organization reported by Bitrace sells its services through Telegram groups and takes a 30% share of the proceeds. Since its establishment in April, the Drainer organization has accumulated 596 subscribers and claimed to have made over $200,000 in profits in the TON ecosystem in mid-May (Drainer is a type of malicious software designed specifically for illegally emptying or "draining" cryptocurrency wallets, and this software is rented out by its developers, meaning anyone can pay to use this malicious tool).

Under pressure from various events such as the ISIS terrorist organization using Telegram as a communication and propaganda tool for planning terrorist attacks, and the operators of the "Nth Room" incident in South Korea opening live rooms and chat rooms on Telegram and profiting from cryptocurrency transactions, Pavel Durov still maintains, "We should not feel guilty about this. I still believe that what we are doing is right, which is protecting user privacy." His strong stance to a certain extent has made illegal activities based on Telegram increasingly rampant.

"Is the risk of terrorist activities more important than 100% privacy? This is a major debate about social values." And now, Pavel Durov, who has compromised by providing more user data to the government, seems to have found the answer.

Balancing Privacy and Compliance

Pavel Durov recently announced an update to the platform's privacy policy—IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate the rules will be disclosed to relevant authorities upon receiving valid legal requests. This marks an important step for Telegram in terms of compliance.

In recent weeks, Telegram has established a dedicated team to use AI technology to make illegal content that may be covered in Telegram searches inaccessible. By further updating the terms of service and privacy policy to ensure consistency globally, this demonstrates Telegram's determination to combat illegal content and protect nearly one billion users on the platform.

As a global communication platform, Telegram must find a balance between protecting user privacy and complying with regulatory requirements. This balance should be dynamically adjusted based on local laws, specific events, and application scenarios. For example, when receiving valid legal requests from law enforcement agencies, Telegram will disclose the personal information of such illegal users, who will no longer be protected by the platform. By appropriately sacrificing the "privacy" of a few illegal users, Telegram can prevent further abuse without compromising the privacy of the public.

Compliance is Crucial

By strengthening compliance and regulation, Telegram has provided users with a more secure and trustworthy platform, laying the foundation for its long-term development in the global market. However, the "Nth Room incident" shows that it is not easy for criminals to profit from simple social software; the key lies in the exchange and circulation of cryptocurrencies, which is why anonymous cryptocurrencies are widely used in the black market.

With the widespread use of cryptocurrencies, especially stablecoins like USDT in the cryptocurrency field, many enterprises involved in cryptocurrencies should implement a comprehensive KYT mechanism to comply with regulations and manage risks.

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